Blogs and Commentary

National Senior Showcase: Bloggin' from Bryant

Lacrosse Magazine Online's Paul Ohanian blogs from the 2009
US Lacrosse National Senior Showcase, presented by Warrior, in
Smithfield, R.I., an all-star event featuring the nation's top high
school seniors from the North, South, East and West regions.

The NSS Awards banquet just concluded a short time ago, with about
300 players, coaches, parents and friends gathered in a ballroom at
the Westin Hotel.

Keynote speakers Jack Reid (UMass/Boston Cannons/U.S. Men's
Training Team) and Mike Pressler (Bryant University/U.S. Team Head
Coach) provided some advice to the players as they prepare to
embark on their collegiate careers, and the four team
coaches announced their individual award winners.

Reid encouraged the players to begin preparing mentally for college
lacrosse. Preparation, he said, breeds confidence.

"Do what you do well, and do it fast and hard," he said.
"Prepare for each situation."

Pressler reminded the players that they will have just one chance
to make a good first impression in college.

"Be ready to go on day one," he said. "Jobs are won or lost in Fall
Ball."

He also told the high school seniors the same thing he told the 84
players trying out for the U.S. Team two weeks earlier.

A balanced scoring attack that featured 13 different goal scorers
and a cohesive defense that frustrated the North team's offensive
flow led to a 17-9 victory for the East squad in Saturday's NSS
Championship Game.

The East rebounded from a three goal first quarter deficit by
outscoring the North 13-1 during the second and third quarters.
Four players scored twice apiece to lead the East, while nine
others added single tallies. Eleven of the team's 17 goals were
assisted.

"I thought we were very unselfish," said East co-coach Joe Ancona.
"Sometimes that's difficult to do. I think the players had fun
watching their other teammates contribute."

Tyler Distefano (Jackson Memorial HS/Jackson, NJ/undecided college)
open the second quarter scoring for the East at 8:54 on an assist
from Nick O'Reilly (South Side HS/Rockville Centre, NY/UVA).
O'Reilly then added his own unassisted goal less than a minute
later, and when Joe Marasco scored at 6:53, the game was tied.

"We started getting a lot of breaks and finding the open guys,"
Marasco said. "We were either finishing or we had back-up, so we
kept possession. Then we'd get another shot and score."

The eight-goal second quarter explosion ended when Brandon Groux
scored on Mic DeBellis' assist with 12 seconds left in the quarter.
The East claimed a 10-6 hafltime lead.

The third quarter featured more of the same, with Will Manny
scoring back-to-back markers to open the quarter, both assisted by
O'Reilly.

At the defensive end, the East held the North scoreless for a
stretch of 22:36, extending from late in the second quarter to
nearly midway through the fourth quarter. During that stretch, the
East scored nine straight goals to turn an 8-6 lead into a
17-6 advantage.

"I'm going to give our goalies (Michael Bonitatibus and Travis
Sandin) a lot of credit on that," said Ancona. "I heard them
talking and constantly reminding the defense what the situation
was. And they responded. The coaching was easy. It was just a
matter of getting out of their way."

Sandin finished with nine saves and Bonitatibus was credited with
four.

"Everybody played together really well," said Bonitatibus. "We were
all communicating at all times."

O'Reilly, Marasco, Groux and Manny each finished with two goals for
the East, with O'Reilly also adding a game-high thre assists.

Austin Wright and David Lawson paced the North team with three
goals each in the game.

An awards banquet that begins at 6:30 p.m. for all the players and
coaches will conclude the weekend's formal activities. Each team
will present an MVP award and a Sportsmanship Award.

East is in Control

posted Saturday, June 20 at 4:12 p.m.

It's been all East squad since the start of the second quarter.
We're now midway into the fourth quarter, with the East leading
17-8. They have dominated at both ends of the field after a slow
opening quarter.

Most impressively, they've spread the wealth on offense, with
nobody scoring more than twice during the spurt. And the defense
has been just as impresive, holding the North scoreless for a
stretch of over 22 minutes at one point.

We're in the final minutes. We'll post the final score shortly.

East Explosion

posted Saturday, June 20 at 3:37 p.m.

The East squad turned a 5-2 first quarter deficit into a 10-6
halftime lead by scoring eight times in the quarter - including six
straight at one point - to seize control.

The eight goals were scored by seven different players, including
one by long pole Brennan Bicknese (Delbarton School/Ridgewood,
NJ/Georgetown Univ) with 1:48 remaining in the
quarter. Brandon Groux (Salesianum HS/Newark, DE/Salisbury
Univ.) assisted on that goal and added two markers of his own in
the quarter.

Lawson, Wright Help North to a Quick Start

posted Saturday, June 20 at 3:23 p.m.

Two goals apiece by David Lawson and Austin Wright have helped the
North to a 5-2 lead after one quarter in the championship game.
Lawson, who tallied five goals in this morning's semifinal game,
picked up right where he left off with an unassisted goal to open
the scoring just 40 seconds intp the game.

Wright tallied his second to close to first quarter scoring with 17
seconds left on a nifty over the head shot while falling away from
the cage.

A five-goal run in the third quarter provided the South squad with
enough of a cushion to hold off a fourth quarter charge from the
West and emerge as the winner of the third-place game.

Tucker Hull led all scorers with five goals for the South team,
including three during the key run in the third quarter. Ronjohn
Dadd (Urbana HS/Ijamsville, MD/Bucknell Univ) scored twice in the
fourth quarter to help seal the win for the South.

"This was a fun tournament and very competitive," said Dadd. "BY
the second half of the second game, we really got to know each
other and how everybody plays. There were a lot of amazing players
here."

Andreas Haglund scored twice in the final quarter and assisted on a
third goal as the West tried to rally late.

The championship game between the North and East teams is set to
beginin a few minutes.

The South Rises

posted Saturday, June 20 at 2:14 p.m.

The West team scored the first and last goal of the third quarter,
but the South squad scored five straight in between those markers
to assume a 12-9 lead after three quarters. Tucker Hull tallied
three of the South's goals, but in two of those cases, simply had
easy dunks from the doorstep off nice feeds from Griffin Lamie
(Lassiter HS/Marietta, GA/UMass) and Michael Fields (Wilde Lake
HS/Columbia, MD/Detroit Mercy).

West, South Tied 7-7 at Halftime

posted Saturday, June 20 at 1:51 p.m.

As the score indicates, it's been an evenly played first half.
Unofficially, both teams had 27 shots.

There's several players, mostly on the West squad, that are still
undecided in their college choices. Interestingly, Mike Pressler,
who moonlights as the head coach at Bryant University when he's not
leading the U.S. Men's Team, is in attendance watching the games
(and will be the featured speaker at Saturday evening's awards
banquet).

He noted that more than observing East Team midfielder Ben
Sternberg (North Kingston HS/Nor
th Kingston, RI), who is headed to Bryant in the fall, he's
interested in watching some of the kids that are uncommitted.

Among those, Kevin Dwyer (Grosse Ile HS/Grosse Ile , MI) had an
early goal for the West as the teams battled to a 4-4 tie
after one quarter. It's been an entertaining first quarter, with
both teams going up and down the field. Despite the eight goals,
both goalies - Alexander Gradecki of the West and Dan Curran of the
South - actually played pretty well, with several nices saves at
each end.

Turn the Music Down

posted Saturday, June 20 at 12:47 p.m. EST

The action has moved to Bryant University's
Bulldog Stadium for this afternoon's games after having the
morning semis played on adjoining fields beyond the stadium. The
South and the West are on the field warming up, with music now
being blasted (can players truly get a good warm-up these days
absent music?) from the stadium loudspeakers. The p
layers on the field seem to be enjoying the selections, but the
parents and friends in the grandstand sitting just below the
speakers don't seem to be as happy.

Some of us have moved into the press box for this afternoon's
games, and as long as our Internet connection holds up, we'll try
to provide more in-game updates through the afternoon.

As for the weather, it's still cooperating. Getting cloudier, but
any moisture is supposed to hold off until later in the day. Thanks
for asking.

Think I'll pop next door and see if the DJ will take requests.
Wonder if they've got any George Strait tunes loaded in the system?

North, East Advance With Semifinal Wins

posted Saturday, June 20 at 11:28 a.m. EST

Afternoon pairings have now been established following the
completion of this morning's semifinal round games. The North
defeated the West 19-10, and the East beat the South 13-9.
Following a break for lunch, the South plays the West in the
third-place game at 1 p.m., followed by the North against the East
in the 3:15 championship match. More semifinal game details:

North 19, West 10
David Lawson (Middlesex School/Westford, MA/Duke University)
scored led all scorers with five goals and Brian Estes
(Pinkerton Academy/Derry, NH/Endicott College) added four to lead
the North squad. The North led just 3-2 after one quarter, but
outscored the West 6-1 in the second quarter to seize control.
Lawson scored three times in the second quarter, including twice on
left-handed sweeps punctuated with lasers in the upper corners
that had players on both teams turning to each other and
saying 'wow."

"He's real good," said an impressed Estes following the game.
""It's awesome to be out here playing with these guys."

Mitch Hawk (Timberline HS/Boise, ID/undecided college) and Andreas
Haglund (Chaparral HS/Scottsdale, AZ/Arizona State Univ) led the
West with two goals apiece. Spurred by a halftime pep-talk by
coach Scott Howe (picture lacrosse's version of Bobby Bowden), the
West tried to rally early in the third quarter and tallied an
extra-man goal to pull to within five. But the North never backed
off, building its lead to 15-8 after three quarters and cruising
into the championship game.

East 13, South 9
This game wasn't quite as close as the score might indicate as the
East jumped to a 7-0 lead after one quarter and
led throughout. The East dominated first quarter shots
and possessions while capitalizing on all their chances.

Will Manny (St. Anthony's HS/Farmingdale, NY) - one of four UMass
recruits playing at the NSS - led a balanced offense with three
goals and an assist. James Garry (Rye Country Day/Mamaroneck,
NY/Dartmouth), Joe Marasco (Somers HS/Yorktown Heights,
NY/Syracuse) and Erich Pfeffer (Glastonbury HS/Glastonbury,
CT/Middlebury College) each added two goals. Goalies Michael
Bonitatibus (Yorktown HS/Yorltown, NY/Loyola College) and Travis
Sandin (Colts Neck HS/Freehold,NJ/Norwich Univ) combined for eight
saves for the North.

"Five of our first seven goals were assisted, which is a little
unusual when players don't know each other real well,"
explained Manny. "But we were actually all looking for each
other."

John Haus (Chapel Hill HS/Chapel Hill, NC/Univ of Maryland) led the
South team with two goals, while Sam Jones (Severna Park HS/Severna
Park, MD/Navy) and Benjamin Love (Winters Mill HS/Westminster,
MD/Air Force Academy) added one goal and one assist each.

Chamber of Commerce Morning

posted Saturday, June 20 at 8:15 a.m. EST

As anybody following the U.S. Golf Open on Long Island knows,
the weather forecast for the Northeast has not been promising for
this weekend. Yesterday's NSS practices were squeezed in on a
modified schedule between showers and parting skies.

But Saturday morning looks promising.

Blue skies and comfortable temperatures greet players and parents
arriving at Bryant University this morning. Those that have
monitored The Weather Channel through the night report that there
appears to be a window of clear weather in advance of the next wave
of rain, headed eastward and expected to arrive later this
afternoon. Both 9 a.m. games are expected to start on time.

The match-ups in today's semifinals: South vs. East, North vs.
West.

Semifinal losers will meet in the third-place game at 1 p.m.
Semifinal winners play in the championship game at 3:15 p.m.

And dare we say it, some folks are even pulling out the sun block
as they settle into their seats with coffee in hand. Are they the
ones in danger of jinxing the no-hitter, or am I?

Rivals to Teammates

posted Friday, June 19 at 10:25 p.m. EST

John Haus of Chapel Hill HS and Tucker Hull of Charlotte
Providence HS squared off in the North Carolina state championship
last month. They're now teammates 'having fun' on the South squad
at the National Senior Showcase.

This weekend, they're teammates on the South squad. All-Star games
can make for strange bedfellows.

In 2007 and 2008, John Haus' Chapel Hill HS team won the North
Carolina championship. This year, Tucker Hull made sure the script
had a different ending. Hull scored seven goals and added four
assists to lead his Charlotte Providence team to a 19-13 victory
over Chapel Hill in the state final. Providence finished the season
with a 21-1 record.

"We couldn't stop their offense," said Haus, who will play at
Maryland next year. "It's definitely a relief to play with him and
not against him."

For his part, Hull, bound for Navy, has already scripted another
dramatic finish should a final shot be needed in one of Saturday's
games.

"Hopefully, I'll be taking the dodge, draw the slide, and then Haus
will crank it in," he said.

MetroLacrosse Express: Boston to Maine

Joseph Johnson grew up in Roxbury area of Boston. Lacrosse
was not among the sports options for most kids in his
neighborhood.

That's until MetroLacrosse entered the picture. The non-profit
organization, which serves as a US
Lacrosse BRIDGE affiliate program, hosted a clinic at
Johnson's local community center. All of a sudden, he was
hooked.

"Lacrosse was just different," explained Johnson, who will play on
the NSS' North team. "The equipment looked cool."

After his initial introduction to the game at the age of eight,
Johnson remained involved with MetroLacrosse. He continued playing
and developing his game, and through Metro's Scholastic
Placement Program, eventually found a home at Maine's Gould Academy
playing for former MetroLacrosse coach Zach
Lehman. Johnson played his junior and senior seasons in
Maine, and will join Western New England College next
season.

Despite his newfound lacrosse success, Johnson has not forgotten
his roots. As part of his senior project, he returned to Boston
this past spring to complete an internship with MetroLacrosse.

"I did recruiting visits around the city," he said. "I always go
back and help out if I can."

A Show of Hands Please

As noted below, much of the first day at the NSS is a process of
getting familiar with each other. Players get to know their
teammates, and coaches get a feel for the capabilities of the
players they've been assigned.

Each of the four 24-man rosters are comprised of six attackmen, 10
midfielders, six defensemen and two goalies. As the South squad
gathered for its first meeting, co-coach Joe Conner had a
logical question.

"Raise your hand if you have face-off experience," he asked the
players.

No hands. Twenty-four guys and two coaches all just starring
blankly at each other.

Houston, we have a problem.

To Conner's credit, he asked an important follow-up question.

"Has anybody ever faced-off before?"

Three hands go up.

"OK, we just found our face-off men," he announced as the players
laughed. Problem solved.

Are We Having Fun Yet?

posted Friday, June 19 at 4:55 p.m. EST

There's an unmistakable theme that quickly emerges as players,
parents, and coaches gather for this weekend's National Senior
Showcase All-Star Game, presented by Warrior, at Bryant University
in Rhode Island.

From the initial coaches meeting, run by USL Men's Division
Director Jody Martin, to the individual team meetings run by the
two-man coaching staffs.

Fun, fun, fun.

Sounds more like a pep-talk for a 'Weekend at Bernie's' than a
weekend featuring 96 of the top high school seniors from across the
country trying to win lacrosse games.

Martin reminds each of the eight coaches that "it's our goal to
make sure this is a fun experience" for the players.

Charlie Burch of USL's Men's Coaches Committee emphasizes
to the coaches that the desire is to give each player on the
24-person roster equal playing time.

"They're all among the best in their areas and they can all play,"
he said.

Following the initial meetings, players break off with their
team coaches to acquaint themselves with each other. In some cases,
even the coaches who will be leading the squads are meeting
for the first time.

As the North squad gathers in a corner of the gym to pick-up their
uniforms, players sit quietly in a group. North co-coach Mike
Vorgang breaks the silence as the final players trickle in from
gathering their gear. "Introduce yourself to somebody sitting next
to you," he says.

The familiar questions begin. "Where you from?" "Where are you
going to school next year?"

Vorgang and fellow North coach Shaun Stanton review a few basics
with the players before getting ready to head outside for practice.
There's not enough time for a lot of strategy talk and game plans.
It's all about keeping it simple.

"We want to get you the ball in space," Stanton tells the offensive
players. "Keep your head up the whole time."